Before you begin working in healthcare software testing, you need to be in the right mindset. We are not talking about being an eager ball of energy ready to take on a new challenge. This is about understanding that your priority is people. The healthcare industry is not only about patients, but medical staff, insurance companies, and accounting as well. All these categories need fast, reliable, functional, and intuitive programs since we are on the subject of human life, where minor errors might lead to grave outcomes. That is why software quality assurance in this field should be of the highest grade.
What Healthcare Needs
Acknowledging the realities of the medical field will help you recognize the nuances and peculiarities of QA services for this niche. Simply put, everyone wants a quick and steady program to work with. In healthcare, these facets are vital due to the multitude of crucial and sometimes extreme situations the software is to operate in.
Swift data transfer and processing
Medical practitioners work with a significant number of people and an even larger amount of data. Respectively, patients should be able to receive the needed advice, appointment, consultation, and feedback as soon as possible in urgent cases.
Efficient and dependable data handling
Consumers must have a sound connection to the app. Evidently, the software must operate at high speeds even when the user load is at its limit. The app should be capable of handling high traffic every day.
User-friendly interface
Not everyone understands technology well. Therefore, the software should be easily readable and intuitive since people working with it might not have a good grasp on such apps or be time-bound.
Digital inclusivity
You should also consider that people using healthcare apps are those with disabilities. Hence, the software should take into account individuals with dyslexia, low vision, limited mobility, etc., and exercise needed features for easy use.
Data security and privacy
You are well aware of how scammers can maliciously use personal data. Thus, sensitive information such as medical records should be sufficiently and effectively protected. Additionally, users should be able to delete their data if they want to.
Convenience and respect
Making the app compatible with various (common or rare) devices and related programs offers interoperability. This is necessary for medical practitioners who use multiple software systems and apparatus and patients who may need to utilize different appliances.
Consumers might also need to relocate their data from one device to another or transfer information to a different program. Ensuring that such processes are straightforward and operative will guarantee a positive user experience.
Software QA Services for Healthcare
If you have not been involved in healthcare QA before, you may feel a bit nervous about the first steps in this vital sector. Thus, we have prepared detailed instructions that could guide you through software testing services in the medical field.
1. Prepare in advance
Researching your subject beforehand can help you better prepare for upcoming tasks. Particularly, you can do the folowing.
Study your niche
If you’re working in a software testing company, start by asking your colleagues what materials they can recommend. Using NIH’s resources to read up on cases involving software will help you grasp the subtleties of different departments in medicine. You can also find useful case studies that deal specifically with issues occurring when using medical devices and programs.
Get acquainted with relevant regulations
Knowing what standard to uphold refines your efforts and lets you know what to strive for. ISO and HHS’s libraries are great means to get to know the basics. Additionally, the FDA’s regulations on software as a medical device outline how this type of health-related software goes beyond the traditional understanding of medical programs. No matter your location, be sure to check the regulations for the region you are working with.
Take a look at alternatives
Similar software should not be viewed only as competition that needs to be surpassed. Rivals are live examples from which you can learn quite a lot. Examine related apps to see what they are doing right/wrong. Browse through comments to see what defects are most common to avoid them in your own work.
This technique can be applied anywhere across the process of testing. You are free to deepen your knowledge in advance or do so when you feel it is most needed. You should always take the chance to expand your professional expertise.
2. Learn what you can about the project
It is essential to gather as much information as possible about the product from the get-go. You can ask for project requirements, tech documentation, or design (if the software is ongoing).
You might not get everything right at once. Yet you should remember that it is alright – making mistakes is part of progress. As a QA engineer, you should understand that the road to success may be rather bumpy. Communicate with your client, team, and QA Lead. They will help you figure out many solutions to problems encountered along the way. Do not forget to use internet resources to enhance your knowledge – information is power, and the internet is the citadel of information.
3. Examine your resources
Thoroughly investigate the resources you were provided with. Theoretical evaluation of the documentation permits you to plan your next moves and strengthen your knowledge of the task ahead.
If you are not yet familiar with the tools the client/present QA team works with, get to know your operating environment and request assistance if some functionality is difficult to grasp.
4. Design suitable checklists/test cases
You may need to create checklists/test cases from scratch, or a client/QA Lead may present their own. In the latter case, all is to be carried out per the client/Lead’s request, but do not doubt yourself. You can offer to modify the cases provided or suggest tests outside the proposed parameters if you feel they could be advantageous for the project.
When it comes to writing tests from zero, our team defines a few essential aspects:
Learn business-critical functions
Core aspects of the software for users, which are installation, registration of new users, creating accounts/digital documents, etc., are your priority. Further testing may be faulty when these starting features are not running adequately.
Know your sector
Recognizing end users’ needs and behaviors will significantly assist in designing/refining your test cases. Logically, testing will be much more efficient when you have a better grasp of the industry and its specifics.
Understand your users
Further, your tests should account for the fact that individuals with actual health problems will employ the software. Thus, you should fully comprehend how the product functions and impacts its consumers.
5. Running the tests
Healthcare software testing is not much different from any other niche. So, do not be anxious and adhere to the standard procedures:
- Follow the checklists/test cases.
- Log bugs with detailed descriptions.
- Provide screenshots/screencasts.
- In case you feel the need to alter certain test documentation, present sound argumentation to the client/team.
Also, pay attention to the deadlines. Thus, if you feel stuck, unsure of how to proceed, or deal with an issue – communicate with your team. You should never feel embarrassed to ask for assistance.
6. Reporting and reflecting
When attending team meetings, you are free to share recommendations on how to improve current processes or advance the software itself. Still, always back up your suggestions with arguments/evidence from your experience on the current project. Personalized suggestions have a higher likelihood of being truly useful and accepted.
7. Maintenance
Ongoing and scaling projects generally require continuous support. For productive upkeep, you should:
- Manage your documentation – from checklists to bug tracking records, preserving your knowledge will help prevent similar mistakes and resolve related issues faster.
- Continue learning – as your project evolves, its requirements may change. Alterations can occur at any phase of the software testing life cycle. Hence, you should be able to adapt to these transformations.
- Refresh your expertise – market trends significantly influence the variant of software that goes to the end users. Keeping up with the tendencies of your niche and profession ensures you are at your best.
Crucial Types of Software Testing for Healthcare
Some testing types are of utmost importance for healthcare QA. From our experience, we would like to emphasize the following options:
Functional and UI testing
These two are the basis for every user interaction. Critical functions for consumers that operate inadequately (e.g., registration) will not allow/discourage people from proceeding further. Additionally, as users interact with most software via UI, guaranteeing its logicality and fast acceptance is crucial for affirmative experience and prolonged usage.
Performance testing
The fast response of the app is critical. Creating a user load to see how the app will handle high simultaneous functioning should determine its limits and possible fixes to improve this aspect. Load, stress, endurance, and volume testing are pivotal for this phase.
Compliance testing
Meeting regulatory requirements provides a feeling of certainty. When the software is in line with the corresponding guidelines, first, it is considered up to standard, and second, the users are reassured that their data is safe and not mishandled.
Different countries have distinct policies on healthcare records security and should be taken into account.
Security testing
In healthcare, user information goes beyond login details or even medical history/list of symptoms. As the medical sector is an interconnected system of many agencies, insurance, social security, personal ID numbers, etc., are included in the records. Data leakages involving these directly endangers consumers’ livelihoods.
Vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, security code review, user data encryption, etc. are crucial in ensuring data security and privacy.
Integration testing
Keep in mind that there are many actors in healthcare systems. While providers and receivers (hospitals and patients) are at the forefront, intermediaries (insurance companies, solution vendors, regulatory authorities, etc.) should be able to receive needed data too. These parties might operate on different software. Hence multiple API integrations are necessary.
Safe and compliant medical data transfer between different applications must be guaranteed for coherent functioning and error-free interchange.
Compatibility and interoperability testing
Using various devices, OSs, browsers, etc., is common for patients and medical staff. Hence, checking if the app functions well in different digital environments will help users who rely on divergent data formats and clinical systems to seamlessly interchange information.
Further, healthcare apps are often linked to other medical devices, which calls for efficient data transfer. The software and the connected device/app should cooperate effortlessly and provide accurate data exchange.
Regression testing
Regression is important to run after every round of iterations, whether we’re talking about novel features, updates, or fixes. You need to make sure that the process of bug eradication did not alter the initial code or expose other issues.
How to manage it all
Evidently, one QA engineer will not be responsible for each testing type. As a rule, there are certified experts and companies specializing in security testing hired specifically for this task. System performance may be taken care of by software architects or lead devs during earlier development stages. Junior QA agents commonly work with functional, UI, and compatibility testing. Still, it makes sense to learn more complicated and intricate procedures even on your own. This is something you can definitely use for your career growth. And having a head start on difficult matters will be a huge advantage.
Our Experience with Healthcare QA
Our expertise allowed us to highlight a few practices that will ease your work and ensure great results.
1. Be involved
- Studying the project and software specifics will help you better grasp the needs of the app.
- Listen to the client to fully comprehend their intentions and goals.
- Detailed information you learn will assist you every step of the way to a perfect product.
2. Communicate
- Teamwork makes perfect. Working independently might not always provide fast and accurate outcomes.
- Multiple individuals covering one project need to be in touch so as to voice their concerns, share experiences, prevent issues in further development phases, and support each other.
- You are not alone, so do not be afraid to speak up and be ready to listen – multiple viewpoints will reveal the truth.
3. Do what you are best at
- Taking on projects that you consider the best fit for your own current knowledge will help you immerse into the working environment and processes.
- An efficient cooperation structure ensures well-organized workload distribution. This, in turn, leads to staying on schedule and budget and prevents burnout.
- Working in your comfort zone will help you gain knowledge and confidence until you are ready to conquer new specialties.
To Sum Up
A study with a cautious name, “Computer Bugs in Hospitals: An Unnoticed Killer”, among many defects that contribute to PAEs (preventable adverse events), highlights:
- Interoperability issues – lack of opportunities for computer system cooperation results in data loss, mishandling, and transfer delays.
- Inefficient security – poor security protocols lead to data corruption and too many verification procedures slow down the work.
- Inept design – ‘unfriendly’ UI pressures clinicians into looking for shortcuts and precipitates ambiguity;
- (In)validation – mistakes during data entering are common, software that does not account for potential discrepancies in such cases can have deadly outcomes, etc.
As you may have noticed, a QA engineer in healthcare has to keep a busy mind. There is a lot to learn, pay attention to, and consider. But working on something that positively affects human life is one of the greatest things there is. One piece of advice we would like to share – keep your cool and do your best. Everything else will settle down.